Endurance and Love
by MysteriousStorm
Summary: A fanfiction for a friend; Hollowflight x OC
1. Prologue

"Hollowkit, where are you going?"  
An irritated growl from Duskfur did not stop the five moon old kit from following the faint scent trail in the snowstorm. His heart was jumping with a joy that he did not recognize in any way, yet he continued; Hollowkit knew that something was waiting for him.

Realizing that his mother was on his tail, Hollowkit dashed, enduring the freezing ice clumps that clung to his thick brown tabby fur. In the haze of the blizzard, his scent was no longer leaving a trail. While fear pricked his fur, knowing he was lost, a blazing happiness flooded warmly through his body as he tripped over a fluffy object.

Two blue eyes gradually opened, staring at Hollowkit with an innocent sparkle in them. Hollowkit breathed shakily. This was another kit! Leaning over the nearly frozen fur bundle, Hollowkit rasped his tongue over the soft ears of the kit. His thick tail wrapped around the kit, pulling her close to him.

As the blizzard slowly began to come to a halt, Hollowkit glanced at the kit. To his surprise, she was staring at him with undying happiness in her eyes as she huddled next to him. Hollowkit could not break away their locked gaze.

"What is your name?" Hollowkit finally managed to find his voice after several long heartbeats. The kit rested her head on his broad shoulder, clearly exhausted.

"My name is Ice, as far as I know." she admitted. Suddenly trembling, Ice pressed closer to Hollowkit's foreleg, mewling as bad memories swamped her. Understanding the wave of terror that had suddenly crashed upon the kit, Hollowkit licked her head softly.

"Hollowkit! What do you have there?" Duskfur had found him, now staring at him and Ice with narrowed amber eyes.

Hollowkit padded up to his mother, Ice staggering by his side. He stared at her with pleading amber eyes.

"I found this kit in the blizzard. Can she join RiverClan?" Hollowkit begged, glancing at Ice for approval. Clearly having some knowledge of the four Clans, Ice nodded. Duskfur, noting this exchange, sighed.

"Hollowkit, if it is okay with Leopardstar, then she may join." Duskfur murmured. Suddenly, her eyes darkened. "However, there's another blizzard coming our way, so we should head to the camp. I'll carry this kit."

Picking up Ice, Hollowkit trotted beside his mother in an attempt to speak to his new friend. His numb paws failed him, but every time he would collapse, Hollowkit would struggle to regain his footing and hurry back. Despite the effort, Hollowkit felt as if he was the happiest kit to ever exist. 


	2. Chapter 1

The long journey had finally ended, though Hollowkit knew that he would still have to face Leopardstar's punishment. He had defied the warrior code by leaving camp as well as ignoring orders of Duskfur. Lowering his gaze as he entered camp, Hollowkit sensed the presence of his Clan surrounding him. Murmurs of surprise rumbled through the crowd as Duskfur stepped into the camp, still carrying Ice.

"Duskfur, is this kit the reason why Hollowkit broke the warrior code, tonight?" Leopardstar had crept from her den, suspiciously glancing at Hollowkit. He straightened up; he had no reason to be ashamed for saving a kit's life. But was Ice more than just a kit, to him?...

"It is."

Willowshine's voice rose above all the rest as she sat at the edge of the crowd, her head bowed and eyes narrowed. All eyes turned toward her and Hollowkit glanced at Duskfur, who only shook her head. She clearly didn't understand what Willowshine meant, as well.

"Any other kit would not have survived a harsh blizzard like that. These two kits, one of them from this Clan, clearly have enough strength to survive a snowstorm, together," Willowshine ignored the anxious mews of her Clan. Suddenly, Mistyfoot rose to her paws, speaking for the first time since Hollowkit returned.

"It's obvious that they both survived this storm. How can you be sure that it isn't luck?" she demanded, glancing quickly at Hollowkit, then Ice.

"Would you call going out into a blizzard and trying to find a random kit luck?" Willowshine challenged the deputy.

Mistyfoot looked away briefly before murmuring. "I would call it foolish." Raising her head to meet Willowshine's defiant blue stare steadily, Mistyfoot spoke once more. "What does this mean?"

"It means that destiny has lead them to eachother. And it will keep them that way for a long time." Turning to Leopardstar, Willowshine added, "I think that Hollowkit has served his punishment by going into a snowstorm. He is already half-frozen. As for the kit he has found, she must join this Clan."

Leopardstar narrowed her emerald eyes. "Why must they both go unpunished?"

"It is for the good of RiverClan, I assure you." Willowshine spoke no more as she solemnly returned to the medicine den, greeting Mothwing with a low purr. Leopardstar sighed, then raised her head.

"I trust the word of Willowshine. Hollowkit, you will not be punished, despite the high level of foolishness tied into your actions. As for your friend, she will become a member of RiverClan."

Hollowkit bowed his head respectfully and Ice slowly padded up beside him, recovering from the storm. She bowed her head as Leopardstar continued to speak.

"Hollowkit, what is this kit's name?"

"Ice." No cat could doubt the amount of strength and pride echoed in his reply.

"Ice, you are now a member of RiverClan and shall be known as Icekit. Hollowkit, Icekit, may StarClan light your path, always."

As Leopardstar returned to her den, Duskfur nudged Hollowkit and Icekit into the nursery. Settling in her warm, mossy nest, Duskfur wrapped her thick tail around Hollowkit and Icekit. Icekit purred softly, drifting into a deep sleep. Hollowkit watched her for many heartbeats before a wave of darkness washed over him, sending him to sleep. 


	3. Chapter 2

Hollowkit sleepily blinked his eyes open, glancing at the still sleeping Icekit. Dawn was starting to wash the skies with elegant colors so he gently nudged the kit lying beside Duskfur, her dappled gray-and-white fur rising then falling as she dozed. Icekit mewled, yet she opened her eyes.

"It's time to wake up, Icekit. Today, I become an apprentice."

Icekit's blue eyes shone with admiration and she cautiously climbed out of Duskfur's nest. Hollowkit bounced happily at the entrance of the den as Icekit bounded toward him.

"Hollowkit, do you think that I can become an apprentice, too?"

Hollowkit halted, half way outside the nursery, glancing back at Icekit. His gentle amber gaze glowed with emotion, yet with concern as well.

"Icekit, how many moons old are you?"

"Six."

Hollowkit nodded slowly. "Then maybe Leopardstar will let us train together!"

"I'm afraid that it is not that simple, little ones." Willowshine was standing beside the nursery entrance, watching the two kits withamusement.

"Willowshine! How did you know about the destiny stuff?" Hollowkit exclaimed. Willowshine glanced behind her shoulder briefly before focusing on Hollowkit.

"I saw the way you were gazing into the blizzard, knowing something, more so some cat, was out there. I know what that is like, though I had to break connection due to other reasons." Willowshine murmured, glancing away as Icekit stared at her.

"If you have been in my position and you had to break connection, then how can you be sure that Icekit and I really are meant to be?" Hollowkit questioned reluctantly.

Willowshine purred softly at Hollowkit's challenge. "I knew that I was wrong to even have the connection with the cat. You felt no doubt crawl under your pelt, even when you knew that Leopardstar would likely punish you."

Hollowkit nodded slowly, then dipped his head thankfully.

"I'll take good care of Icekit."

"I don't need any cat to help me!" Icekit squeaked. Purring, Hollowkit pushed her into a snow drift, earning a low hiss from the she-kit. Icekit kicked snow in an attempt to escape, but she failed.

"Hollowkit, help me!" she wailed.

Without hesitation, Hollowkit leapt into the snow drift and pulled Icekit out. She gave him the most irritated look that Hollowkit thought he had ever seen; more than Leopardstar's, even. Suddenly, a bunch of snow hit Hollowkit's face. When he looked to his side, he saw Icekit purring.

"Hollowkit, you don't want to become a mess for your ceremony, do you? How about you, Icekit?"

Mistyfoot slipped out of the warriors' den and glanced at Hollowkit and Icekit softly. Leopardstar was climbing onto the tall rock that shadowed her den underneath and yowled the signal.

Hollowkit bounded up to her, Icekit by his side. Leopardstar glanced down at the two kits warmly while Duskfur nudged them forward.

"Hollowkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hollowpaw. Your mentor will be Reedwhisker. I hope Reedwhisker will pass down all he knows on to you."

Hollowpaw purred as Duskfur nudged Icekit closer to the Tallrock, while Leopardstar watched suspiciously. She clearly was uncertain in giving Icekit an apprentice name, but the next words she spoke had no trace of doubt edged in them.

"Icekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Icepaw. Your mentor will be Rippletail. I hope Rippletail will pass down all he knows on to you."

As RiverClan cheered for the new apprentices, Icepaw brushed her soft fur against Hollowpaw. Happiness shimmered in her blue eyes as she purred in a loud manner.

"Thank you, Hollowpaw, for bringing me here." 


End file.
